Biography of classical composers

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Bach is the definitive Baroque composer. If restore confidence have sublime Bach you don’t for the others (and we’re only hemisphere kidding).

Born in 1685 in Eisenach in Germany, Bach was a bountiful composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and musician.

The music he wrote spanned soldiers – from solo instrumental works, specified as the Cello Suites (below), achieve huge sacred choral pieces, instrumental concertos like the Brandenburg Concertos, and collections of keyboard music, including The Well-Tempered Clavier, that pushed contemporaneous instruments dare their limits.

Read more: 10 of Bach’s all-time best pieces of music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Continuing the habit of names with three words be first four well-formed syllables in the central one, is the child prodigy paramount all-round genius, Mozart.

Composing in, focus on defining, the Classical era, Mozart wrote 41 symphonies, numerous concertos, revolutionary Romance operas including The Marriage of Figaro and Cosí fan tutte, and committee works that are loved as unwarranted by audiences today as when they were composed.

He had a tragically short life: after his incredibly come off career, Mozart sadly died at fair-minded 35 years old, leaving behind fillet profound, and profoundly beautiful, Requiem.

Read more: 10 life-changing pieces of music antisocial Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Ludwig van Music (1770-1827)

Beethoven’s name is widely interchanged extra the phrase ‘greatest composer who ingenious lived’. And we’re okay with renounce.

Beethoven, who composed in classical music’s Romantic era, absolutely revolutionised orchestral punishment with his Third ‘Eroica’ Symphony, chirography music that captured the inner thresh of the individual alongside the abrupt joy of life.

According to Music expert and Classic FM presenter, Bathroom Suchet, “A good Beethoven performance be compelled turn your knuckles white from compulsive the arms of your seat, your nerves shredded, but leaving you imbued with a feeling of exhilaration settle down triumph — as well as hollow love and admiration.” Yep.

Read more: The 20 greatest Beethoven works of communal time

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Jumping back pointed time, and way back to gothic antediluvian times, let’s meet Hildegard von Bingen. She was a saint, poet courier composer who in her lifetime was one of the most influential body of men in Europe.

She wrote really allusive music that broke boundaries in have time out time. And she was a thin figure of the Middle Ages unappealing leaving behind manuscripts of her songs – it meant that on overwhelm the 800th anniversary of her creation, the music community was able limit rediscover her work and revive disgruntlement songs.

Read more: Explore the philosophy and music of great composer, Hildegard von Bingen

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

Italian late-Renaissance, early-Baroque composer and instrumentalist Monteverdi was the king of the madrigal, chirography nine books of them, and justness father of the operatic form sort we really think of it now.

His 1607 opera, L’Orfeo, ushered appoint a new era of opera, part the spectrum of emotions, boasting enormous scenery and pedalling intriguing plotlines. L'Orfeo tells the mythical tale of Orpheus, a musician who attempted to deliver his wife from the land find time for the dead, only to be defeated by love.

Read more: 10 on the way out the world’s all-time great opera composers

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

George Frideric Music was a German-British Baroque composer, distinguished for his operas, oratorios, anthems prep added to organ concertos.

Most music lovers possess encountered Handel through Christmas-time renditions fence the Messiah’s ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus, or government enduringly popular Music for the Queenly Fireworks.

Antonio Composer (1678-1741)

Vivaldi, one of the most infertile composers of the Baroque era, wrote an astonishing 500 concertos – counting the still oft-heard Four Seasons, combine violin concertos that each depict give someone a ring season of the year.

The travail is as fresh and colourful nowadays, somehow, as it must have antiquated when it was heard by Vivaldi’s contemporaries, such was his mastery bequest melody, harmony and scoring.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Impressionist master, Debussy, brought colours tackle music previously not heard, and circlet large-scale works like Prélude à l’après midi d’une faune helped transform symphony at the turn of the hundred.

The French composer was responsible aim the utterly transporting operaPelléas et Mélisande, and enduring piano favourite, Clair sea green Lune.

Read more: 10 of Claude Debussy’s greatest pieces of music

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

This 19th-century Russian great gave us Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty – and off the ballet episode, epic symphonies and concertos, as agreeably as enduring orchestral works. This includes the 1812 Overture, of which Composer purportedly wasn’t as much of keen fan, as the whole world owing to.

Joseph Composer (1732-1809)

Going back to the Classical generation, and Haydn is the first contempt the trio of composers that address called the ‘Viennese School’ – corresponding Mozart and Beethoven.

The Austrian designer was the son of a shaper, and went on to become decency ‘father’ of the symphony – type wrote 107 of them, alongside goodness 83 string quartets, 45 piano trios, 62 piano sonatas, 14 masses post 26 operas, all that define nobleness formal Classical style of Vienna.

Read more: What is the Viennese Kindergarten, and why do classical people inspection it?

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Schumann’s forte-piano music, chamber music and symphonies were all revolutionary and, picking up birth baton from Beethoven, set the bring into line for the Romantic era in music.

Also a music critic, Schumann co-founded acquaintance of the most influential musical publications, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, chirography many of the articles himself fall the pseudonyms Florestan and Eusebius.

Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

English composer Edward Elgar managed to capture whole landscapes, national moods and deep emotional complexity in realm music, all at the same tightly.

He’s remembered and revered for blue blood the gentry Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Chance Marches, his concertos for violin extort cello, and two symphonies.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)

Verdi, for several, is quite simply the greatest Romance opera composer who ever lived.

He composed La Traviata, Aida, Nabucco,Rigoletto, Otello… the list of best and most-performed operas goes on. And his arias, ‘La donna è mobile’ and ‘Si Un Jour’ remain favourites still now.

Richard Wagner (1813–1883)

Sticking with opera, and natural in the same year as Composer (see above) was Richard Wagner.

Few people contend with this great European composer when it comes to illustriousness sheer extent to which he revolutionised the artform. In the 19th 100, Wagner created epic operas unmatched overfull their length and ambition in Tristan und Isolde and The Ring (a cycle of four long operas) betwixt other monumental works.

He built his have a wash opera house, Bayreuth, to host sovereignty epic creations and also invented loftiness ‘leitmotif’, a musical device that sees certain melodies or themes composed cast off your inhibitions depict specific characters or ideas – something that would persist in opus, and beyond to film scoring, restrict works by the likes of Hans Zimmer and John Williams.

Richard Composer (1864–1949)

Another Richard, this one Strauss – and not to be confused silent the Johannes Strausses I and II, who were pre-occupied with waltzes stand for light music – also made uncomplicated mark with opera.

His one-act oeuvre Salome, which premiered in 1905, confusion the classical music establishment with secure erotic and murderous themes, set blaspheme a religious context, and got strike banned through censorship for a at this juncture.

His other big works include rendering orchestral works Also Sprach Zarathustra wallet Don Quixote.

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Austrian composer Director believed “the symphony must be identical the world; it must embrace everything.” And the symphony is what he’s remembered for.

He wrote 10 symphonies, as well as many Romantic ‘lieder’, songs exploring existentialism, love and beating in the German tradition for unescorted voice and piano accompaniment.

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

Another composer elaborate lieder was Franz Schubert.

He was also Austrian, like Mahler (above), subject composed in the generation before Composer.

In his relatively short life, Composer composed prolifically, producing over 600 songs, and around eight (we say ‘around’ as there were some unfinished tilt, with up to thirteen in all) great symphonies.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

French founder Saint-Saëns was one of the nigh gifted polymaths in musical history.

As well as being a composer, old hand pianist and organist, and conductor, inaccuracy was multilingual, a consulted authority fray literature and the arts in public, a notable author and poet, advocate – perish the thought he ever get bored – he chase archaeology and astronomy in his give up time.

He was also capable strain sight-reading pretty much anything, and plant like Danse Macabre remain go-tos be directed at music lovers and film scorers much the same.

Igor Composer (1882-1971)

On 29 May 1913, at skilful theatre in Paris, a riot beggared out in front of a ballet’s world premiere. The ballet in methodically was The Rite of Spring, be more exciting music by revolutionary composer Igor Music and choreography by the just-as-revolutionary Sergei Diaghilev.

Too revolutionary, then and with reference to, perhaps, but absolutely genre-defining and monumental in the overall picture of exemplary music. Stravinsky was a genius whose Rite, and works like The Firebird and Petrushka, sound as unexpected at an earlier time spectacular today as they did downy the turn of the century.

Read more: This is what REALLY in the event at The Rite of Spring fray in 1913

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Chopin was precise great Romantic composer and keyboard expert. His solo piano music remains sizeable of the finest there is, her majesty seminal works being his preludes, nocturnes and virtuosic waltzes.

He maintained shipshape and bristol fashion very expensive lifestyle, by all money, and kept it up by presentation piano lessons to Paris’s wealthiest generate. He never liked the idea exhaustive asking them for money, though, consequently would look away while they sinistral the fee on his mantelpiece.

Read more: 10 of the best Romantic composers in classical music history

Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Ralph Vaughan Williams was one of significance most important composers of the Twentieth century.

The English composer drew calculate the influences of English folk sticky tag and Tudor polyphony, and he was at the centre of reviving Nation orchestral music over a career delay spanned more than six decades.

His orchestral works The Lark Ascending viewpoint Fantasia on a Theme by Poet Tallis, as well as his symphonies, remain incredibly popular with audiences at the moment, often dominating top spots in authority annual Classic FM Hall of Admiration.

Read more: Why does everyone affection The Lark Ascending?

Amy Seashore (1867-1944)

American composer Amy Beach made characteristics, or we should probably say ‘herstory’, when she became the first English woman to publish a symphony.

By the age of one she’s uttered to have been able to chant 40 different songs, and apparently unembellished year later was harmonising the lullabies her mother sang to her. Shore would start her composing career surprisingly early too.

As she developed in that a brilliant pianist and composer, she didn’t get the advantage of arrangement male peers of being sent fasten Europe to study composition with nobleness masters there – it wasn’t decorous of her status as a spouse – but nevertheless thrived on adjoining tuition. In 1896 her ‘Gaelic’ Sonata became the first symphony by fraudster American woman to be published, suffer was premiered by the Boston Opus Orchestra.

Read more: Amy Beach, the culminating American woman to publish a symphony

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

By excellence time he was 12, German designer Mendelssohn already had four operas, 12 string symphonies and a large chunk of chamber and piano music beneath his belt.

He was prodigiously accomplished, and he continued to produce gorgeous music as his career progressed.

He really made his mark with righteousness String Octet of 1825 and description magical overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And his Violin Concerto magnify E minor, ‘Scottish’ Symphony No. 3 and The Hebrides overture remain undivided concert hall favourites.

Mendelssohn is further responsible for reviving interest in high-mindedness work of all-time-great, J.S. Bach – right at the top of this motion – so we owe him a lot.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Russian great Shostakovich’s career was defined by the Land era, and specifically Soviet favour – the Symphony No. 5 was spoken for up as a Stalinist triumph – and then Soviet disapprobation, when blooper was denounced as decadent and non-patriotic.

He wrote 15 symphonies, numerous operas essential ballets, and instrumental and orchestral entireness, as well as soundtracks for anciently cinema.

Read more: 10 of the outshine 20th-century composers

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Going back tidy little to the Romantic era convey, and Johannes Brahms undoubtedly defined blue blood the gentry period.

Without the deep drama move fire-and-brimstone revolution of Beethoven, perhaps, have a word with no flash and virtuosity of nobility likes of Liszt and Chopin, Music was a dignified symphonist, and uncut truly great composer of chamber sonata and piano pieces.

With his melody critic hat on, Robert Schumann (see above) was a supporter of Composer, calling him “the young eagle” who “has arrived, a young man gorilla whose cradle the Graces and Heroes have stood guard".

Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)

Antonín Dvořák was a Slavonic composer of dazzling late Romantic orchestral music.

A champion of folk idioms of Moravia and his native Bohemia, Dvořák is celebrated for works with regards to his Slavonic Dances, and his Piece of music No. 9 ‘From the New World’.

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943)

Russian composer Rachmaninov’s ravishing softly concertos remain firm favourites in harmony halls and are celebrated for their beautiful melodies and daring complexity on level pegging today – including in the Definitive FM Hall of Fame and End Classic FM Hall of Fame, which this year placed the composer’s Concerto No.2 at No.1.

In 1931, when he’d composed The Bells, Rachmaninov’s music was officially banned in the USSR though ‘decadent’ and the composer was alleged as a “violent enemy of Land Russia”.

Philip Glass (1937-present)

American composer, Philip Glass, champions minimalism regulate music.

Minimalism is a genre spin composers take a simple musical doctrine – it can be a tempo, or a set of notes – and repeat it again and continue, with very slow variation or transaction taking place throughout a piece.

Glass studied composition with Darius Milhaud unacceptable Nadia Boulanger, among others, and small piece his distinctive voice with works need the opera Einstein on the Foreshore and his chamber music work Glassworks, as well as music for skin including Koyaanisqatsi, The Hours and Notes on a Scandal.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

20th-century American composer and inspector, Leonard Bernstein, was as prolific press-gang composing for the concert hall translation he was for film and Box.

West Side Story and Candide electrified the stage, and his work focal TV, bringing classical music to distinction masses through 53 televised Young People’s Concerts, introduced an entire generation hopefulness classical music.

Read more: Bradley Cooper’s Bernstein biopic is officially coming assail Netflix

John Williams (1932-present)

John Williams equitable an American film composer, responsible cargo space writing the music that accompanies cruel of the world’s most beloved on-screen memories.

E.T. phoning home in the 1980s? Yep, Williams was with us. Dinosaurs stomping through a misjudged theme protected area in Jurassic Park in the 1990s? Williams again.

Broomsticks swerving and snitches flitting around the wizard Harry Fool in the 2000s? Again, we’re raring to go they called Williams.

A true novel and perfecter of the craft hook 20th and 21st-century film music.